... Indeed, it has often been said that the president got into Iraq because he disregarded advice from the true regional experts: foreign-policy "realists" who put together the Gulf War I coalition and counseled President George H.W. Bush against regime change; "moderate" Sunni Arab Governments; and the U.S. intelligence community.

But what if today these groups were actually advising against an American withdrawal?...

FascistLibertarian

06-05-2007, 11:42 AM

This is exactly how I feel. If you get stabbed its not always the right idea to pull out the knife the first chance you get! The situation would be so much worse if the US pulls out.

tequila

06-05-2007, 11:58 AM

Good old Dan Senor, always on hand with the talking points of the day. I wonder what he is saying "off the record"?

Rajiv Chandrasekharan of Imperial Life in the Emerald City (http://www.amazon.com/Imperial-Life-Emerald-City-Inside/dp/1400044871)and Washington Post fame on former CPA spokesman Senor. (http://www.juancole.com/2006/10/rajiv-chandrasekaran-replies-to-dan.html)

... Behind the podium, Senor never conceded a mistake, and his efforts to spin failures into successes sometimes reached the point of absurdity. "The majority of Iraqis . . . do they want the coalition forces to leave? They say no," he once said. The CPA's own polls suggested just the opposite. Asked why Iraq had such interminable lines at gas stations, he insisted it was "good news" -- more Iraqis were driving because the CPA had allowed the import of a quarter-million new cars. He made no mention of the CPA's delays in getting Halliburton and other contractors to solve the problem by repairing refineries.

When Senor was frank, it was never for publication. In April 2004, a few reporters asked him about a paroxysm of violence that had Americans hunkering in the Green Zone. "Off the record: Paris is burning," he told them. "On the record: Security and stability are returning to Iraq ..."

Tom Odom

06-05-2007, 12:18 PM

Agreed Teqila. One almost needs a shot (penicilin or whiskey) after reading Senor.

Tom

goesh

06-05-2007, 12:36 PM

Iran gives up its nukes and gets Iraq for its playground - sounds like a deal nobody can really say no to